Alapan Bandyopadhyay retires as Bengal CS, appointed as Mamata's Chief Advisor

Bandyopadhyay, who was called by the Centre to report by 10 am on May 31, refused to enter into the extension period of three months earlier granted by the central government as per the State's request.

The state government wanted the extension of Bandyopadhyay's tenure as he was handling COVID-19 situation. 

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who apparently relies on Bandyopadhyay, appointed the outgoing Chief Secretary as her Chief Advisor for three years. 

Bandyopadhyay will begin his work as Banerjee's Chief Advisor from Tuesday.

Banerjee has appointed Hari Krishna Dwivedi, who was serving as the state's Home Secretary, as the new Chief Secretary.

The announcements were made by Banerjee after the Centre showcaused Bandyopadhyay and asked him to report to Delhi on Tuesday morning.

Calling the Centre's recall of her state's Chief Secretary a "unilateral" decision, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday morning wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly stating she won't be releasing her top bureaucrat, Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

Banerjee said she can't and won't release the Chief Secretary at a time the state is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within hours after Banerjee and the CS skipped Modi's cyclone Yaas review meeting on Friday at Kalaikunda in West Bengal, Bandyopadhyay was asked to report to the Department of Personnel and Training, North Block, New Delhi by 10 am on Monday.

Venting her anger upon the Centre, Banerjee on Monday evening said, "The central government has done this seeking revenge. It is a vendetta politics."

"Does the Modi government want to damage bureaucracy?" she said and added in an open challenge, "Mr. busy, Mann Ki Baat Prime Minister, do you want to finish me? Can you do that? Never, ever until and unless people for you."

"I haven't seen such an unkind Prime Minister," Banerjee said.

Bandyopadhyay's recall has left the civil servant fraternity in shock as several former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers have come down heavily on the Centre.

Former state chief secretary Ardhendu Sen said as quoted by The Indian Express, "The state government is busy dealing with the pandemic and the aftermath of a natural disaster. Given the situation, how could the central government issue a transfer order to the chief secretary?

"This will definitely hinder the functioning of the state administration. We expect the central government to help out the state at a time like this. Though the Centre has the jurisdiction (to recall the chief secretary), there is no doubt that the instructions issued by the Union government at this time are absolutely undesirable."

Former IAS officer Jawhar Sircar had tweeted, "Have Modi Shah gone crazy? Just 1 working day left for West Bengal’s Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyaya to retire — they have transferred him to Delhi! CM wanted 3 months extra. It’s deliberate sabotage of Cyclone Relief, Covid Control + Revenge for 48% Bengal vote against BJP."

Banerjee, who has emerged as a popular anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) face following her thumping win in the state polls this year, has garnered support from other opposition parties over the entire row.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "Modi Govt’s Malicious Recall of Bengal Chief Secretary is death knell for Federalism. Union Govt’s Lethal Assault on Democracy will create Anarchy in the Country!!"

In the same tune, Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Independent India hasn’t seen a PM and HM with bigger egos and smaller minds. This move in the middle of a pandemic and the aftermath of a devastating cyclone, shows how they are still licking their Bengal wounds post elections. Pathetic!"

Slamming the Modi government, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, Arvind Kejriwal, tweeted, "This is not the time to fight with the state governments, but to fight Corona together with everyone.

"This is the time to help the state governments, to provide them with vaccines, to work with all the state governments as Team India. The entire life is left to fight and do politics."